How to Name Your Nintendog

Purchase your Nintendog from the kennel. This is the first thing you do at the beginning of the game. Select a breed, colour and gender you like. Pay close attention to the personality descriptions- if it's your first time playing the game, avoid dogs described as tomboyish, naughty, boisterous etc. Instead, opt for dogs that are described as being patient and having a good temperament. This makes teaching your dog it's name much easier, as well as teaching it tricks later on. If the ideal dog doesn't show up, simply exit out of the selection screen and click on the breed again to have a new randomized set. Nintendogs_01_518.png

Play and give attention to your Nintendog.Tap the whistle command (the middle circle) and rub your dog's head. You can try rubbing it's stomach, it's butt, behind it's ears etc. Note that the dog may sparkle- this means you're petting it well! Nintendogs_name_01_245.png

Wait for a screen that says that the dog has calmed down. This should happen quite quicklyNintendogs_name_02_67.png

Move on to the next steps and begin thinking of a name for your dog. The best names are between two and four syllables, and sound very distinct. Don't choose something too short like "Bee" or "Pip" (while they may be cute) or "Captain Death Overlord the Third" (even though it may sound epic). Too long or too short names make it hard for your dog to learn it's name. Cute names may be foods like "Toffee", flowers like "Daisy", human names like "Maxwell" or anything you can imagine! Nintendogs_name_04_619.png

Tap on the "Begin Audio Input and speak into the microphone. Speak clearly and be sure to remember how you pronounced it the first time. The tone you use the first time will need to be repeated again and again so make sure you like the sound of it.Nintendogs_name_03_568.png

Repeat this process multiple of times, remembering to keep the same intonation in your voice. If your dog understands what you said, a faint yellow light will appear around it and a chime will sound. If it's confused, orange question marks appear and a mumbled noise will sound. If your dog keeps being confused, you aren't pronouncing it identically each time. You may want to rethink it's name if it's not working.

Wait for a screen that says that your dog has learned its name. Well done, you're getting closer! Nintendogs_name_05_364.png

Tap the screen to spell out the dog's name. Ensure it's spelled correctly- for an extra special touch, add a little star, heart or other symbol to it. Nintendogs_name_06_717.png

Keep reminding it of it's name. This is where it get's tricky- many people have trouble and get frustrated with this step. You need to keep calling it as instructed, petting it, clicking back and calling it again. If successful, the game will announce that the dog is familiar with it's name and you can start teaching your dog how to sit. However, if you aren't successful, you will need to restart from step three and repeat the process.

Once successful, your dog knows it's name and you can move on to new things. Remember to use the dog's name regularly to keep it in mind, as it is possible your dog will forget it's own name.